Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fans, fan assemblies, and apparatus for suppressing noise produced by fans.
Background of the Related Art
Computer systems typically include a number of electronic components disposed within a chassis. These components generate heat as a byproduct of electrical power consumption, and require a cooling system to prevent the components from becoming damaged. A common cooling system includes one or more fans for driving airflow through the chassis across the electronic components. For example, a personal computer (PC) or server may include one or more onboard fans provided inside the chassis of the PC or server. In larger computer systems, such as in a rack-mounted computer system, a shared blower module having multiple fans may be provided in a chassis for cooling multiple servers mounted in the chassis. For larger computer systems, such as in a datacenter, a more comprehensive cooling system may include a dedicated computer room air conditioning (CRAC) system and a particular arrangement of racks that includes alternating hot and cold aisles.
The large, high-speed fans and blower modules used for cooling servers and other information technology equipment are the primary source of noise in the datacenter. A datacenter includes many densely-packaged rack-mounted servers and corresponding fans. The combined noise of the many fans and blower modules in a datacenter produce an undesirable level of noise. Unfortunately, limiting or reducing the amount of airflow through the computer system can require a reduction in processor load, causing the computer to run at less than its full processing capacity.
In order to allow such large computer systems to operate at full processing capacity or performance, the data center may be physically separated from office spaces in order to isolate the noise and reduce discomfort experienced by employees. There may also be need for a general policy that noise levels must be reduced below certain user-defined limits whenever an administrator or other person must enter into the data center. Even with stand-alone computers, it would be desirable to reduce noise causes by fans.